1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gaming devices and methods. More specifically, the present invention relates to gaming methods, devices and systems enabling player participation in a bonus event shared competitively, collaboratively or both with at least one other player, while accommodating base game as well as bonus game play by a single player until joined by the at least one other player.
2. State of the Art
Games of chance have been enjoyed by people for thousands of years and have enjoyed widespread popularity in recent times. Many people enjoy playing a wide variety of games that they have not played before. Playing new games adds to the excitement of this recreational activity, particularly when some form of “gaming” is involved. As used herein, the terms “gaming” and “gaming devices” are used to indicate that some form of wagering is involved, and that players must make wagers of value, whether actual currency or some equivalent of value, e.g., token or credit.
One popular gaming device that has long been enjoyed by many players is the slot machine. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slot machine 10 as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,932 to Adams (Dec. 15, 1998), which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A slot machine 10 typically includes rotatable reels 60, each having a plurality of symbols thereon that are randomly displayed when a mechanical lever 12 is pulled and the reels 60 are rotated. If the symbol displayed is a predefined symbol, or predefined combination of symbols, the player may receive a payout either through coin chute 20, which deposits winnings into coin trough 30, or by increasing the player's credits displayed in credit window 40. One skilled in the art will recognize that a slot machine 10 may also include a microprocessor, or other central processing unit as well as memory. In such a case, a display screen (not shown) (e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT), plasma display, liquid crystal display (LCD), and/or a display based on light-emitting diodes (LED)) may be operably coupled to the computer to replace the reels 60 and provide a simulation of reels and their rotation, the output of a random number generator being used to direct the types and combinations of symbols displayed on the display screen, all as known in the art.
A coin slot 14, currency validator 16 or card acceptor device 18 (to accept a credit card, gaming card, player card, smart card and the like) permits a player to activate a “base game” on the slot machine 10. As used herein, “base game” or “primary game” refers to a primary game played on the gaming device for which a player may wager directly upon the outcome. One skilled in the art will recognize that a player will have a predefined chance, or odds, of winning a payout for the base game based on the mathematical odds that a winning symbol or combination of symbols will be randomly displayed on the indicia of the reels 60. As used herein, “payout,” “payback” and “percentage payback” are synonymous. The odds may be adjusted by changing the number of possible non-winning symbols or combination of nonwinning symbols in relation to the number of possible winning symbols or combination of winning symbols. Typically, the odds of winning a payback and the amount to be awarded to a winning player in relation to the amount wagered is defined in the form of a “paytable” or “par sheet.”
As noted above, initiating a base game on a slot machine 10 may be done as simply as by inserting a coin, token or other type of currency equivalent (debit card or credit card) into a gaming device such as slot machine 10. Another example of a player action which may be taken in initiating a base game includes inserting an identification card, such as a “smart card,” having a programmed microchip or a magnetic strip coded with a player's identification, credit totals and other relevant information. Such smart cards or “player cards” may be used in player tracking systems as in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,716 to Saffari et al. (Jun. 23, 1998), which discloses a card that contains information about the player which is pertinent to the gaming activity such as points awarded based upon the player's gaming activity. In the Saffari et al. patent, the player inserts the card in a gaming device at the time of play. When the player indicates that he or she has finished play on that gaming device, the card is updated with player activity information. The player can then insert the card into a different gaming device, which makes the player activity information stored on the card available to the player tracking system. It is also known to accept preprinted coupons, or cash out slips, to initiate a base game and to print the cash out slips directly from a gaming device as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,269 to Burns et al. (Apr. 11, 2000). Additionally, it is known to transfer money to a game through an electronic funds transfer process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,983 to Crevelt et al. (May 11, 1999).
Existing gaming device displays may include multiple images representing various aspects of a game such as a game portion, a credit total portion and a wager amount portion. Other displays include an additional bonus award portion to indicate an amount of a bonus award which may be won, typically through multiple or secondary games. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,148 to Brune et al. (Dec. 22, 1998) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,418 to Adams (Jun. 15, 1999).
In addition to the gaming activity described above, it is also possible to participate in a game of chance via the Internet. This is typically accomplished through a casino or game host site offering displays similar to those found in conventional gaming devices. Generally, to play a game of chance via the Internet, a software file is downloaded to a player's computer or terminal, which may then be used to install the necessary software for the game and access the casino or game host Internet site. As with a conventional gaming device, Internet games may be accessed using an identification code or name to identify the specific player and retrieve that player's credit total or play history.
Bonus gaming, also known in the art, includes employing a secondary game that will typically execute if the player achieves a predefined outcome associated with the base game. In many cases, the bonus game is a singular event in that the play changes to the bonus game when a certain base game outcome is achieved and the bonus game is then played to completion. For example, as depicted in FIG. 1 and as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,932, when the reels 60 of the slot machine 10 stop on certain predetermined indicia, a bonus game may be initiated by pressing a button 50 and bonus indicator 70 actuated to display a randomly determined bonus award. (See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,978 to Adams (Jul. 18, 2000) disclosing a gaming system wherein displaying a certain indicator on the reels of a primary slot machine enables a secondary game allowing a player to spin a wheel to determine a payout amount for the secondary game.) In other cases, the bonus game is a more sequential event in that progress through the bonus game is determined by continued play in the base game.
One type of bonus game is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,255 to Thomas et al. (Feb. 20, 2001). In one version, the possible primary game outcomes include a special symbol combination that causes a computer processor to generate a bonus game resource exercisable in the bonus game. For example, one or more bonus game resources can be used to override the end-bonus outcome and thereby allow the play of the bonus game to continue.
Another type of bonus game is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,976 to Schneider et al. (Jul. 18, 2000). One disclosed version allows the player to have further interaction in the bonus game by providing a touch screen where the player can select objects by touching the screen positions. Various values are then revealed to the player until an end-bonus outcome is encountered.
Bonus gaming may also be conducted through a plurality of networked, or linked, gaming devices such that the secondary gaming activity might involve a plurality of players wagering on base games at separate gaming devices. Some examples of bonus gaming wherein a player may compete with a plurality of other players for a secondary prize include U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,544 (Jul. 14, 1998), U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,998 (Sep. 9, 1997) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,603 (Oct. 1, 1996) all to Seelig et al. The Seelig et al. patents describe variations on a bonus game wherein the bonus game may include one or more contestants in a race. In one embodiment, each player wagering at a primary gaming unit may be represented by a particular contestant in the race. The contestant representing a particular player advances in the race according to the represented player's gaming activity at the primary gaming unit. The race ends upon a contestant finishing or upon the expiration of a predetermined amount of time, whichever comes first. A disadvantage of the Seelig et al. patents is that, while enticing players to compete against one another for a prize by placing larger and more frequent wagers on a base game than other players, it is impossible to maintain a percentage payback at any one gaming device that is consistent with the par sheet for that device. For example, a slower player may receive a lower percentage payback than indicated on the par sheet of the device while a faster player may receive a higher percentage payback than indicated. Thus, a percentage payback displayed on the par sheet of any one gaming device may be inaccurate and misleading.
Other examples of bonus games including a plurality of networked primary gaming devices include U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,273 to Olsen (Nov. 14, 2000), U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,284 to Acres et al. (Mar. 2, 1999) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,523 to Piechowiak et al. (Jan. 2, 2001). The Piechowiak et al. patent, for example, describes a system of linked gaming devices wherein the generation of certain symbols at each gaming device is used to build up a pooled bonus value. A bonus award is then awarded to the player that causes the accumulated bonus value to meet or exceed a predetermined value. Like the Seelig et al. patents, the Piechowiak et al. patent does not allow any one gaming device to maintain a percentage payback consistent with the par sheet for that device. Indeed, it appears that faster players or players employing strategy in deciding when to wager on a base game will have an advantage which will skew the percentage payback of each gaming device participating in the bonus game.
Gaming systems have also included progressive systems in which the bonus award amount increments as base games are played on individual or linked gaming devices. One type of progressive gaming system is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,728 to Barrie et al. (Jun. 6, 1989). In the Barrie et al. patent, a game controller is connected to a plurality of machines. A win is generated approximately every one half minute (every eight handle pulls), adding to the progressive bonus pool. Accordingly, the value of the progressive bonus rapidly increments and player enthusiasm is generated. Because a coin drop freezes a progressive bonus amount on a particular machine, the player knows the value being played for. Another type of progressive gaming system is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,515 to Pease et al. (Jan. 5, 1999). In this example, the progressive prize is not limited to an individual gaming device or terminal by permitting use of a hierarchically organized gaming system which consists of gaming terminals within a plurality of casinos controlled by a central system. When the central system has determined that the prize has been won, the casino whose “chance” resulted in the win will award the entire prize to a randomly selected player having a player card inserted into a gaming device. (See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,961 to Acres et al. (Aug. 12, 1997) disclosing multiple gaming devices linked to a progressive jackpot.)
While various gaming systems and methods for providing bonus games shared among multiple gaming devices have been proposed, none appear to allow players to compete directly against another player or for the players to act in collaboration with one another to win a prize. As discussed above, it would be advantageous to provide a shared bonus game while maintaining a percentage payback consistent with a par sheet corresponding to each device.